TWO youths involved in a 30-hour rooftop siege have admitted a series of offences at Mold Crown Court.

The pair, Joshua Hughes, 19 and James Haden, 18, brought parts of Wrexham town centre to a standstill after they climbed on to office roofs near Chester Street and hurled roof slates, stones and glass in late April.

They caused extensive damage and a female police officer suffered facial injuries when she was hit by a slate hurled from the roof.

Hughes, of St David’s Crescent, Wrexham and Haden of Cunliffe Street both admitted involvement in an earlier similar rooftop incident.

Both pleaded guilty to damaging property – a roof and a skylight – at the offices of Walker Smith Way, solicitors, on April 10, and Hughes admitted an affray charge on the same day.

The two defendants – together with Anthony Lewis, 22, of no fixed abode, and Mark Ellis, 19, of Kingsmills Road, Wrexham – admitted two charges of attempted robbery on April 23, and two offences of robbery on the same day, when mobile phones were taken by force.

Then between April 24 and April 26 - when police wanted to speak to them about the robberies – Hughes and Haden took to the roof again.

They both admitted damaging slate roofs, windows and the fabric of buildings belonging to Wingetts in Wrexham, affray, and burglary at Wingett House.

They were remanded in custody pending sentence at the end of the month.

Prosecutor Gareth Preston did not ask for an assault upon Inspector Sharn Harrison – who was hit in the face with a piece of slate – to be put to the defendants yesterday when defence barristers confirmed that they accepted it was part of the affray.

Thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused during the disruption which lasted more than 25 hours.

Details of the prosecution case were not publicly opened yesterday.

A charge against Haden of house burglary in Crescent Close, Wrexham, when a TV and DVDs worth £800 were allegedly stolen, was dropped when he pleaded not guilty. That charge will remain on file.

Haden, Hughes and Lewis were remanded in custody. Ellis was bailed.

More than 100 police officers and PCSOs were deployed during the two day siege, costing police more than £8,500 – including £15 on a KFC for the two youths involved.